


Color of Tomorrow

by sIRoDDbALL



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: Childhood, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28143384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sIRoDDbALL/pseuds/sIRoDDbALL
Summary: Where Emma and Karin were able to meet as kids
Relationships: Asaka Karin/Emma Verde
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37





	Color of Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> EmmaKarin brainrot is strong
> 
> Was gonna do another pining fic for these two but then I thought 'yo what if Karin was like, smaller than most kids? And Emma was like, taller than everyone?' and then I remember reading somewhere that Emma was kind of a tomboy when she was younger
> 
> Not really trying to make it connect to the Nijigaku canon all that much so I guess it's an AU? so don't think too hard about that

Asaka Karin did not like the park. 

"Look! I caught a cicada thingy!"

"Eww! Don't touch me!"

"Next person she touches is it!"

"Hey! No fair!"

Everyone was always so noisy, both in class and outside. They could be playing with grass and Karin would still hear them from the swing set. She counted herself lucky that they never bothered her. In fact, if they ever decide to play on the swings, Karin would… well she hadn't thought that far yet.

The yelling and laughing continued as Karin stared at the ground. She found it extremely annoying that her feet could not touch the ground. Sure it dipped down after everyone's been using it for so long, but it was still insulting. 

Karin swung her legs back and forth, reaching for the dirt below her with little avail. "Stupid… legs!" Karin cried out in frustration. She kicked wildly, yet only the dirt on her shoes went flying into the air.

With her energy exhausted, Karin felt time move even slower. 

"Hi!"

"Aah!"

With a start, Karin lost her balance and fell off the swing. Her school bag kept the back of her head safe. A dull pain shot throughout her body and she bit her lip harshly. Her eyes watered but Karin absolutely, would not cry now.

"Are you okay?" A hand reached out to her.

Karin nodded. She didn't take that hand just yet; not when she was almost done fighting back the tears. 

"Uugh…"

"Oh no, please don't cry! Here-" With surprising strength, Karin was brought up as two soft hands wrapped around her own. She was at her feet as the strange girl wiped away the escaping tears and dusted off her bag. 

"Thank you." Her watery vision cleared and Karin got a good look at the girl. She was a whole head taller than Karin. Was there any kid she'd seen who was this tall? 

Unlike the other kids she had met, her hair was reddish tied into two small pigtails. Unlike the other kids, she had freckles dotted across her cheeks. Unlike the other kids, this girl looked at her with a nice smile.

"Are you hurt?" she asked. Karin shook her head. The older girl smiled down at her. "I'm Emma!"

"...Hi," she greeted. Karin fiddled with the hem of her hoodie. "Karin."

"Hey Karin-chan, I like your panda," Emma said, pointing at the smiling character of the bear. 

"Mm, t-thank you." 

She felt compelled to compliment Emma's clothing too. Her dark blue shorts? Her green jacket? Nothing seemed right. Karin tried to say something about her hair, but no words came out. It wasn't only talking she had trouble with. Karin had trouble making proper eye contact with Emma, not just because she was tall. If her mom was here, she'd be scolded.

"Why aren't you playing with everyone else?"

Karin didn't want to tell her, but the way the girl was stroking her head was really nice. Like, very nice. She never had anyone outside of her family do it before. "...I don't want to."

"Did they do something to you?"

Why was she asking so many questions? "No, I just don't wanna. I don't like playing outside."

"Really?! But you can play in the mud, or by the river, and run around without making a mess! It's great!" Oh great. It was clear which party Emma was in favor of.

Karin puffed up her cheeks. "No, it's not. I'll get my skirt dirty if I do any of that."

Emma let out a faint, "Oh." The grin Emma had dropped. Suddenly Karin's stomach felt sick. "So, why are you here?"

"School just ended. I have to sit here and wait for my mom or I get lost," Karin turned her eyes away and crossed her arms. 

The group of kids were further away than ever. They were still loud. Why did her mom's work take so long? "That's why I don't play with them."

"I see," Emma hummed to herself before taking her hand again. "Then do you wanna play with me?"

"Huh? B-But I…"

"I promise we'll play close by so your Mama can find you. And if you get lost I'll go and look for you!" Emma bent her knees slightly. "I'm really good at finding things, so pleeaase Karin-chan?"

The longer Emma stared at her with those big puppy eyes, the more Karin admired their color. It was like blue, but also kinda green. She had to ask her mom later what that color was called.

"Okay… E-Emma… nee-san," Karin croaked out.

"Aww, Emma-nee is fine!"

"Then, Emma-nee."

Her eyes glowed like star stickers. "Yay! C'mon! There's a really nice patch of flowers over here!" 

Again, Karin was helpless to Emma's raw strength as she was pulled over to said patch. The colors were all whites and yellows, but Karin admired the slightly different kinds of whites and yellows.

Emma pulled Karin down to sit next to her. "Do you like flowers?"

"Mhm, mom has a lot of colorful ones at home." Karin plucked a flower with white fluffy things on it. "We don't keep this kind of flower, but I like it the most," she said, as she puffed on it slowly and watched it fly into the sky. She pressed her hands together, wishing for a pet panda once again. Someday, it'll come true. Someday.

Emma giggled at her as she plucked at the flowers around them. "They're called dandelions. The white ones have seeds that fly and land somewhere else to make new dandelions."

"Woah, I didn't know that." 

Emma nodded and showed her a yellow flower. "They turn into this when the seeds grow up and then turn white."

"Wow…" She picked another white dandelion, barely being able to count all the little seeds on it. Imagine if she brought it into her room! Karin would have so many dandelions, she could wish for a panda faster than anyone else! Her mom would _have_ to listen to her then. "Emma-nee, you know so much."

And there she went grinning again. What in the world could make someone smile so much? "I learned from my Mama. We used to live in Switzerland."

"S-Swissersand? That's… that's cheese?"

"Swi-tzer-land. It's a far away country. It's further than Hokkaido even." Karin's shocked look sent Emma into another fit of giggles. She got lost in the hallways at school. How does anyone manage to travel all that way? "Mama also taught me how to make flower crowns."

Crowns? Like the ones princesses wear? "Really?!"

''Yep! I used to make them a lot, but I'm getting a lot of new little brothers and sisters so Mama doesn't have time." Her voice seemed a little sad. "And, I play in the mud and run around too much. I don't think flower crowns suit me anymore."

The same sick feeling she had earlier came back. Karin didn't like it. "Teach me how to make one!"

"Oh, alright! Watch this," Emma said. Her hands moved slowly and Karin watched with the utmost attention. The way she quickly split the stem and fed another flower through the small hole was more engaging than any math lesson ever. Karin decided her next wish after panadatopia would be to learn this in school.

"...there we go!" Before she knew it, the newly made crown was placed on Karin's head. "It looks good on you!"

"D-Does it look cute?"

"Mhm! Like a princess! Princess Karin-chan!"

"Princess…" The nervousness from first meeting Emma was all forgotten, replaced now with a burst of energy she thought she lost on the swing earlier. She sprung to her feet. Karin just wanted to run around and see where her legs would take her. "I love it! Lemme make one! I'll make another one!"

"Karin-chan! You can't make any more if you step on all of the flowers!"

"Ah! S-Sorry!" Karin promptly sat back down next to Emma. White would look nice with Emma's red hair, so she started taking as many white flowers as she could. Once she started, Karin managed to connect a maximum of two flowers before breaking it.

"Keep trying Karin-chan," Emma would encourage her. "You just need to be more careful."

After an eternity, Karin managed to make a crown for squirrels. "Ughh, I'm sorry Emma-nee." Flowers were dumb. She did it exactly like Emma but it still didn't work! This wasn't a crown for anyone. She might as well throw it away.

Two hands held her wrist just before she crushed it. "Don't ruin it! You just made a flower ring. See?" Karin took a closer look at it. It seemed a little big for a ring, but it wasn't big enough for a crown for sure.

"...Then here," Karin held Emma's left hand. She stared at it intensely. What finger did her mom have it on again? After some time, Karin chose the finger next to her pinky. It rested at the base of said finger. 

"Do you like it?"

"It's amazing Karin-chan! I love it!" Emma's smile was as bright as ever.

"Oh okay," Karin hummed. She was glad if Emma was glad, but she really, really, _really_ wanted to make a proper crown. If Emma could do it, so could she!

"I need bigger flowers!" Karin exclaimed, jumping to her feet once more. "Let's look for them!" Without waiting a moment, she sprinted off aimlessly.

"Ah, wait up Karin-chan!"

There weren't any new flowers immediately around the park, but Karin's eyes caught a bright red one. When she ran over to it, she saw a big patch of another type of yellow flower in the distance. Flower bed after flower bed and Karin found herself carrying more than enough flowers in her arms. 

"Hey Emma-nee!" She cried out. Turning around, there was no sign of the tall girl. She looked around, finding herself surrounded by bushes and trees. Where did the park go?

"...Emma-nee is gonna find me," she said out loud. 

Karin sat down and sorted through her collection of flowers. She got to work immediately, figuring out the pattern she wanted to make from the rainbow before her. When Emma finds her, the crown will be ready and waiting.

Reds were sharp and bright. The blues were also sharp but dark enough. The yellows she found were pale like the whites. She alternated between those two groups, careful to not break anything. She followed her fingers through the motions just as Emma's did. In no time at all, the crown was finished.

Despite that, she was still alone. "...Mom! ...Emma-nee!" Karin shouted. No one came. "Hello? Is there anyone?!" She shouted again.

Karin tucked her knees in. She held the crown in front of her. Her pattern came together perfectly, but there was no one to wear it. "Liar…" There was no one around her, probably for miles given her track record. She saw this coming; she knew this would happen. Even so, Karin let herself cry.

"Karin-chan!" The bushes rustled and Emma came running out from them. She was sweating profusely with dirt and rips in her outfit. Her exposed legs and arms had some scratches littered throughout.

Her overflowing sadness stopped in its tracks. "E-Emma-nee, you came…"

"I'm so glad I found you!" Emma lunged at her and Karin was pulled into a tight hug. She was careful to protect the crown. "I heard you shouting so I tried to follow the sound, and then I saw your crown and, and, a-and-!" Water dripped onto her shoulder. That wasn't sweat.

"Emma-nee, are you crying?"

"I-I was so worried! I thought I'd never find you and I'd lose you and it would be all my fault!" she bawled. "You're safe right? No scratches?"

"I should be asking you that." Karin pulled away a little to look at Emma. One, she was very close to her. Two, from this distance she could see how upset she was. Three, she could also see how hard Emma tried to find for her.

Karin took off her bag and unzipped a pocket. From it came three band-aids. "I don't have enough, but here."

"Ueehh, Karin-chan is so sweet!" she sniffed loudly. Emma put one on her cheek, another on her elbow and the last on the back of her leg. She still looked a little rough all things considered, but at least Karin didn't have to worry about Emma bleeding for her.

"Emma-nee?" Karin stood up and showed off her hard work. "Here's your princess crown!"

Emma stared it with wide, wet eyes. When she didn't say anything, Karin put it on her head for her. She could reach since Emma was on the ground now. It ended up being a bit big, but it stayed on her head regardless. It was a victory in her books!

"See? Now you look even more like a princess with both a ring and a crown! Do you like it?"

Emma's tears finally stopped as she held her own hand and smiled up at Karin. "I love it so much! Thank you Karin-chan!"

Strangely enough, Karin's earlier tears were also forgotten as her chest warmed. "Good… good!" Karin adjusted her own crown. "And now we match."

"Yaay!" Emma clapped happily. She stood up and took Karin's hand. Karin returned the grip without a second thought. "Let's get back to the park."

As the two walked through the forest, Karin thought that she'd be a lot more tired after all that. It was just the opposite. Rather, she never felt lighter on her feet.

  
  


The view of the park never looked so inviting before. And similarly was the presence of her mom.

"Mom!" Karin began running off towards her, dragging Emma along with her.

"Oh Karin! Where on earth were you?!" She crouched down to Karin's level, running her hands over her shoulders protectively. "Did you get lost again?"

Karin shyly nodded. "B-But Emma-nee found me! She found me and helped me back!"

Her mom looked at the girl she was with, a little surprised by her tousled appearance. She settled on a gracious smile. "Emma-chan is it? Thank you so much for looking after my daughter. I hope it wasn't too much trouble?"

"It was no problem, miss. I had a lot of fun being with Karin-chan!" Karin felt her smile grow at that.

"I can see that. You both have wonderful flower crowns."

Karin felt her chest swell with a sense of pride. "Not just that Mom! I made a flower ring too! I made it just like yours!" Karin exclaimed, pulling Emma's hand forward.

Her mom's eyes widened before patting Karin's head gently. "It's wonderful Karin. You did an amazing job."

Karin couldn't help but giggle at that. Her parents were usually so busy or tired; praise like this was nice once and awhile.

Emma let go of Karin's hand to let her go to her mom. "Karin-chan really loves you huh?"

"Yes, it seems so." Karin puffed her cheeks up and pulled on her mom's pant leg. Was it so weird to like your mom?

"Do you live around here, Emma?"

"Yes, I moved in last week here! I'll be going to school here next week."

Karin leaned forward on the balls of her feet. Emma was going to be at school with her? Would that make Emma her senpai now? "Same as Karin then. I hope your family has found everything okay. How old are you?"

"I turned seven this year."

Karin felt her world flip on its head. 

"You two are the same age? So why was Karin calling you Emma-nee?"

The ambience of cars and rustling trees filled the silence between the two girls. 

"Eh?! Karin-chan is seven?! What?! But you're so small!"

"I-I should be saying that to you! You're way too big to be seven!"

For the first time in, however long its been, Karin's mom let out a boisterous laugh. "Well, now you both have a new friend. Isn't that more important?" Karin knew her mom was right. 

But, but, she couldn't deny this burning feeling in her gut. All this time of being pampered by Emma, acting like her junior, learning from Emma, being guided by Emma; it was fun, but Karin wouldn't lose to her so easily.

"K-Kari-"

"Emma!" She shouted. "I'm gonna be even taller than you someday! I'm gonna grow up and be more sister-like than you are!"

Emma remained stunned. 

"And then, I'll be more mature, and then you'll be the one who needs me to find you! Got it?!"

"...okay."

"Not just an 'okay'. This is a promise!" Karin thrusted her pinky forward, eyebrows furrowed intensely. Her face looked weird right now but she didn't care. 

Emma seemed a little taken aback before beaming brighter than the afternoon sun. Her hair was looking really pretty now. "A promise then," her left pinky met hers, "as long as we're still friends forever."

"Of course." Karin nodded confidently. With her words finalized, Karin waved Emma goodbye as she followed her mom. "See you later!"

"Later Karin-chan! Bye!"

"Bye bye Emma! Tomorrow for sure!"

"Tomorrow!"

Karin kept shouting until Emma's form faded into the distance. The sky was blue slowly turning orange-ish. A part of her didn't want to leave the park anymore. She ran up to her mom and caught her hand, keeping up as best as her smaller legs could.

"Hey mom? What's the color of Emma's eyes?"

"I believe they were something like turquoise?"

"Turquoise, turquoise… turquoise," Karin repeated. If she could remember it for next time, she could teach Emma about it.

A low chuckled rumbled out. "So? You want to hurry and grow up?"

"I don't want to. I have to!" She shouted, smiling all the while.

"Then I hope that means you'll be eating your plate clean of it's vegetables, right?"

Her smile dropped. Asaka Karin would face every challenge head on, but growing up could wait for tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Was Karin a little too childish for her age here? probably??? 
> 
> EmmaKarin has ruined me so hopefully I can get out another idea in the next coming weeks cse I sloooow


End file.
